Christmas is a good time to think of all that is well in our lives.

We are better off than last Christmas, thanks to the vaccine and a more relaxed approach to socialising, despite the new Omicron variant of the virus; possibly better than next Christmas with prices going up and Omicron to worry about. Hopefully what is good now will continue.

We have roads that enable us to travel around; fuel and fuelling stations within easy reach; trains that run more or less reliably.

We can complain about details, but we are better off than most in the world. We have more weather than "climate" in England; whether it will rain or whether it will shine is a daily discovery of whether! This gives farmers and tourists reason for minor complaints, but no major droughts, snowdrifts or heatwaves as elsewhere in the world.

East Devon is an outstanding place to live, endorsed by the number of people wanting to buy or rent here, though this worsens the housing crisis.

England is a wonderful country to live in, as demonstrated by the number of migrants trying to reach the UK.

We do not have a constitutional right to carry guns as they do in the USA; we have an ancient right not to be shot at! Above all, we take all this for granted in our everyday lives.

Food, clothing and shelter are the principle human needs. We have all sorts of food available all year round, no longer limited to seasonal availability as it was when I was young - including chocolate which was still rationed when I was at school. I remember my mother tidying a bookcase and finding sugar hidden in reserve from the wartime!

We have enough charity shops to warmly clothe a battalion, plus "proper" shops to provide elegant outer garments.

We mostly have housing, owned or rented, and we have a district council which works wonders in getting otherwise-homeless people housed.

We pay our local taxes to keep this going and are affluent enough overall to spare more for essential charities, such as the food bank - which plays a key part by filling the gaps for those needing a helping hand on behalf of us all.

Life has ups and downs; there is no stigma to using the food bank, it is there to help in a "down". The time to feel bad is failing to contribute when life is on the "up".

Most of us have jobs or pensions which keep us all in the manner to which we wish to remain accustomed, though some depend on welfare benefits and other support to bridge what is hoped to be a temporary gap, but mostly coping.

We have each other, a mixed bag like all communities, but proven to be mutually supportive during the adversity of lockdown. Churches, clubs, sports and volunteering activities all bring people together, especially outdoors. The Park Run every Saturday morning brings a hugely colourful collection of tee shirts, with a great range of running and jogging speeds!

An American friend, years ago, always responded to the question as to how he was doing with: "Pretty good, the bills are all paid, the kids are well and there's food on the table."

Next year will probably be more challenging, so let's focus on having a merry and sociable Christmas, enjoying and celebrating the basics, which are indeed pretty good!